1. Technical Field
This invention is directed to a trailer hitch mounting structure for a pick-up truck that may receive a gooseneck hitch or a fifth wheel hitch. The gooseneck hitch and fifth wheel hitch may both be disassembled from the pick-up truck bed to allow for unobstructed use of the truck bed.
2. Background Art
Trucks may be used to pull a trailer with a frame mounted bumper hitch, a frame mounted fifth wheel hitch, or a frame mounted gooseneck hitch mounted in the pick-up bed. Fifth wheel and gooseneck hitches allow for larger trailers and provide considerably more stability than traditional bumper-pull hitches. Fifth wheel and gooseneck hitches are more stable because they are connected to the truck above the rear axle so that the added load of the trailer is applied to rear axle and the pivot of the trailer is at or slightly in front of the rear axle.
Gooseneck hitches are designed to receive a trailer on a ball that is connected to the frame of the pick-up truck. The ball is mounted low in the bed for stability. Some fifth wheel hitch mounts may provide an adapter for a gooseneck hitch to attach a trailer that has the gooseneck type trailer hitch. A gooseneck adapter on a fifth wheel mount raises the height of the gooseneck ball, and usually obstructs more of the pick-up bed.
There is a need for an integrated support structure that is disposed beneath the bed of a pick-up truck so that the bed of the truck is not obstructed and to which either a fifth wheel hitch or a gooseneck hitch can be easily assembled.